Page 11 of Beautifully Broken
“Why?”
My attention snaps to her. “Why what?”
Blaire curls her arms tighter around her scrunched body, her hands shaking as she asks, “Why did you leave?”
I knew this was coming.
Sitting up straight, I level my gaze with hers. “I had no choice. It was either I leave or you die.” Blaire’s dark green eyes go wide and I continue. “Carson overheard our conversation that day on the picnic table and said if I didn’t leave and never speak to you again, he was going to kill you and make me watch as he did it.”
Panic rises in my chest, but I push it down.
“I was no good for you back then, Ivy. I was addicted to heroin and countless other drugs. I know you had hopes of helping me get sober, but I knew the probability was low. That shit fucks with your head and withdrawal is one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced. But I loved you, still do, so I did what I thought was best. I thought I was doing what was best for you. I thought—”
Tears flow down Blaire’s face, and her cheeks turn a new shade of red. “You left me with that monster.”
“I—” Blaire shakes her head and faces me.
“No. I don’t give a fuck what you thought was best. Because you knew what Carson was capable of.”
“I—”
“Enough Ezra! You left me to die!” Her entire body shakes, and I feel like my heart is being ripped out because of the pained look on her beautiful face.
“You left me alone with that devil of a human to do what? Chase a fucking high because you weren’t ready to be sober? Well, hate to break it to you, but you might as well have stuck around and had him kill me. Because that’s exactly what the past decade has felt like.”
Blaire takes a deep breath, her chest rising and falling at a concerning speed. Her voice is shaky as she continues. “I am addicted to god knows what Carson has been stabbing me with every day to keep me in line. I have scars andnightmares that will haunt me for the rest of my pathetic life. And it’s because the person who I loved more than anything abandoned me.”
“I’m sorry, Ivy. I had no idea.”
“I don’t want to hear anything from you. Thank you for getting me out of that town, but the second I’m able to walk on my own, I'm getting the hell out of here.”
No the fuck she isn’t.
“I don’t think that is the best idea, Ivy.”
Blaire wipes away a tear and rolls her eyes. “I don’t give a fuck what you think. You lost your chance ten years ago to have any say in my life.”
I open my mouth to say something, but words fail me as the telltale signs of my body going into full panic start to work their way up my throat. It feels as if the room is closing in around me and all I see is Ivy sitting in front of me, disgust written all over her face.
Not now, Ezra. You cannot break. She needs you.
Blaire reaches her hand out for me and I try to hide the hiccup in my chest as the air slowly escapes my lungs.
“Help me to the bed. I want to try to sleep off the last of the drugs so I can leave.”
I go to argue, but she glares at me.
I nod and slip my arms under her knees and around her back.
Slowly, I stand and I can’t help but suck in a breath at the feeling of her body pressed against mine. Just like it should have been for all these years.
I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop my emotions from getting the best of me.
Gently, I set her on the bed and step away as she moves under the covers.
“Shut the curtains and go back to whoever you were talking to. Make sure to tell them you will be back to work soon, since the situation occupying your time no longer requires your assistance.”
“Blaire—”
